1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to water related sports equipment, and more particularly to apparatus associated with fishing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A common method of fishing is to slowly troll a boat and trail a fish line and bait behind in the water. Quiet low power electric motors and controls, such as are manufactured by the Minn Kota Company of Mankato, Minnesota, have been developed for that purpose.
FIG. 1 shows a typical electric trolling apparatus 1 that includes a housing 3 mounted at any convenient location to a boat 5. A block 7 is supported in the housing 3 for pivoting about a horizontal axis 9. The block 7 receives a long tube 11. The tube 11 is free to slide within the block in the directions of the tube longitudinal axis 13 and is also free to rotate about that axis. Attached to the lower end of the tube 11 with a watertight connection is an electric motor 15. A junction box 17 is secured with a watertight connection to the upper end of the tube. A collar 19 is slidable along the tube and may be clamped at any desired location thereon by a locking knob 21. The collar 19 rests on the block to limit gravity induced sliding of the tube and thus controls the depth of the motor 15 under the water surface, as, for example, to the depth shown in phantom lines 15a. A lever, not shown, controls locking of the block to the housing such that the tube is either vertically oriented as shown in the solid lines 11 and vertical phantom lines 11a or in the horizontal orientation shown in the phantom lines 11b.
Control and power wires for the motor 15 are enclosed in a waterproof fashion inside the tube 11 between the motor and the junction box 17. From the junction box, the wires are encased in a sheath 23 and are led outside the trolling apparatus 1 to a second electrical box 25 on the housing 3. The sheath 23 and the wires encased in it are coiled so as to enable the tube to be slid along its full length and to be rotated about its longitudinal axis within the block 7 and to enable the block to be tilted in the housing 3 about axis 9 without causing the sheath to tangle.
To aid fishermen locate fish while trolling, it is known to employ underwater sonar systems. To use a sonar system with typical trolling apparatus 1, a transducer 27 may be fastened to a bracket 29 that in turn is welded or otherwise joined to the motor 15. A wire 31 from the transducer 27 leads to a control unit 33 in the boat 5.
A problem invariably arises in connection with the wire 31 between the sonar transducer 27 on the motor 15 and the sonar control unit 33 in the boat 5. The wire 31 must be long enough to allow the motor to be placed in its lowermost position, typically represented by phantom lines 15A, relative to the housing 3. For any other position of the motor, the length of the wire 31 is excessive, and there is a constant tendency for the wire to be dragged in the water and get caught in the propeller 35. Pulling the excess wire into the boat and away from the propeller 35 increases the probability that the wire will become tangled inside the boat. Excess wire inside the boat is especially a problem when the motor and tube are tilted up out of the water and the motor is slid close to the housing, as is shown at reference numerals 11B and 15B. In that position, almost the entire length of the sonar wire is inside the boat and prone to damage. The sonar wire 31 may be taped to the junction box 17 to take up some of the slack, but that is a temporary and generally unsatisfactory solution.
Thus, a need exists for improvements in the management of the wires associated with a fishing sonar unit.